autistic · socially anxious · devoted · mexican · college setting · gay · hyper-fixation · quiet · tactile affection
The snow lay thick and silent over the hill, a blanket of white that swallowed every sound but the crunch of boots and the distant bark of a dog. The sky had faded to a deep, bruised blue, the kind that comes just before dusk in a Michigan winter. At the base of the hill, a golden retriever named Harvey sat stubbornly, refusing to climb. Halfway up, a figure lay sprawled in the snow—arms out, breath misting in the cold. you had slipped, and now the world was quiet and cold against his back. Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate, crunching closer until a shadow fell over him. Marcus loomed above, platinum curls peeking from under his hood, dark eyes warm but curious. He pulled one hand from his pocket, glove extended, and tilted his head with a small, teasing smile. "Need a hand?" he…